


Master Minhyuk's Jungle

by 1minhuyk



Category: Monsta X (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fairy Tale, Alternate Universe - Magic, Alternate Universe - Supernatural Elements, Alternate Universe - Wizards, M/M, Magic-Users, Supernatural Elements
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-26
Updated: 2018-02-16
Packaged: 2019-03-09 21:11:08
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 8,443
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13489857
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/1minhuyk/pseuds/1minhuyk
Summary: When an unruly curse turns an aspiring magician into a tiger, he must now trek high and low to find the only cure and sorcerer in the entire kingdom that can reverse it.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> First chaptered fic on this account! *clap clap clap* There will be regular updates for it once every week on Fridays (or Saturday/Sunday depending on how busy I am) since all of the chapters are pre-written, so please look forward to them. Also, this story is slightly based on The Princess and the Frog, and it's kind of a mish-mash of all sorts of other things lmao. If you enjoyed, feedback is always appreciated in the comments, and don't forget to leave a kudo too :))

Jooheon was a good magician apprentice to Wonho, at least he thought most of the time. And with being such a good apprentice, you'd think he'd know how certain spells and potions worked. Yes, it is true there was a time he almost set a hat maker's shop on fire, and granted, he has fallen asleep during some important lessons with his master. In fact, he should really be studying for that incantation test Wonho's constantly been nagging to him about. But instead-

"It's actually quite fitting for you," Wonho says, laughing loudly. "None of my students have ever done this before. You've really outdone yourself this time, my friend."

Needless to say, Jooheon isn't exactly feeling so comfy with Master Wonho at the moment. The famous magician, who has constantly looked over and has taken him under his wing for all these years, is the best in his work, but not exactly easy to work for.

"Can you please turn me back?" Jooheon says pleadingly and slightly agitatedly as he paws at Wonho's right leg, earning a small wince from the older due to his sharp claws.

"I'd like to," Wonho says, crouching down to meet his apprentice's now short line of view. "But I cannot possibly in no shape or form reverse this curse you casted on yourself."

The animal's jaw drops to the floor, a hilarious sight for the older magician kneeling in front of him.

"How could I possibly reverse it in the state I am in now?"

Wonho lets out a short laugh at the tiger's slight crack in his voice. "All curses must have some form of cure, don't they?"

This was true. Potion brewings, calling rituals, the usual.

Jooheon crawls to the magic book he dropped, reading the spell he casted. "I don't understand," he says. "Master Wonho, this is a spell book, not a curse book."

"You must have accidentally twisted your words while saying the spell," is the magician's response. "You can try to look for a cure in all the spell books I have on the shelves, but I'm not sure if it'll do much for you," he says, throwing his cloak on. "Now don't do anything crazy while I'm gone. I have to go meet the magus for an elderflower elixir."

"Of course you have to meet Shownu," Jooheon whispers to himself as Wonho closes the shop door hastily.

And before Jooheon even has a chance to bid him a farewell, he stares at himself in the nearby mirror at Wonho's work desk, gawking at the black, white, and orange stripes lining his animal body.

 

 

 

It's been exactly 24 hours, 32 minutes, and 46 seconds since Jooheon has cursed himself into a tiger, and for once, he's not actually afraid of scaring off all the whiny, bitchy customers that Master Wonho attracts.

It's a single knock on the door that reminds Jooheon, despite being in the state that he is in at the moment, that he is still the magician's apprentice and still has to handle and help out at his master's shop. And so, he can only watch as the last customer grabs his order. Wonho bids the customer a nice day, and the customer smiles back at him as he finally leaves the shop.

"That was the blacksmith's son, Hyungwon," Wonho says, watching the young man. Jooheon can only look and roll his eyes at his master.

"Yes I know that. And what does this have anything to do with me?" he huffs.

"Well, for one," Wonho starts, "he's close with the alchemist, and secondly, he's definitely a lot nicer than you. Who knows, he could be the one to help you uncurse yourself. I mean-"

"I doubt it."

Just as Wonho is about to finish speaking, a tall, young man quickly runs through the entrance to the shop, despite the shop being closed already. Jooheon gets ready to growl in annoyance at the man, until he suddenly stumbles onto the floor.

"Are you okay?" Wonho says worriedly as he strides around his desk. "I presume you're here to pick up a honey suckle syrup. Your name is Lee Minhyuk, right?"

Jooheon slowly perches off of his seat, hiding behind his master's desk, looking at the man.  _He's cute._

"Oh I'm so sorry Master Wonho," he says. "There was much to be done, and it wasn't possible for me to pick it up at an earlier time."

Wonho lends a hand, swiftly picking Minhyuk up, noticing Jooheon is hiding. He motion at the tiger to go fetch the syrup, but the animal only shakes his head furiously.

"I'll be back with your order," the magician answers back as he rolls his eyes at Jooheon, quickly retrieving the glass bottle from behind the counter. Jooheon can only give his master the same exact eye roll back, huffing quietly.

Once again, Jooheon is was very good apprentice to Master Wonho, most of the time. And it wasn't helping the fact that another gentleman, a cute one to be exact, could potentially see him in the state he was currently in.

"Some unruly spell this is-"

"Would you like some help?"

"What?"

Minhyuk can only offer a small smile at the tiger's response. Jooheon pops his head out from under the desk, staring awestruck at him. "You know, help with finding the right cure for your curse?"

Wonho comes back, handing the bottle to Minhyuk. "I see you've met my pet tiger, Jooheon."

Minhyuk crafts images in his head of exactly how Jooheon could possibly look in his human form.

"Oh," Jooheon says, caught off guard shyly. "Well, yes. Your help would be very much appreciated."

And so, Minhyuk makes his way around Wonho's desk, grabbing a few spell and cure books from the tops of the shelves, dusting them off, coughing in the middle of the process.  "You don't mind if I help him a little bit do you, Master?" Minhyuk questions straight away, placing the books down.

Wonho shakes his head, looking down and raising a brow at a semi-flustured Jooheon. "Help him all you'd like," he says. "I wouldn't be able to reverse his curse as many times I could possibly try. I'll be in the back if you need anything." Wonho exits, leaving the two alone.

"Does your master ever clean in here?" Minhyuk whispers to the tiger with a small laugh when the magician disappears.

Jooheon looks down shyly. "I used to do all the cleaning in here, and then I started bringing in the psychic's son in, and now we just don't clean anymore."

Minhyuk places the books down as he opens up a few pages, Jooheon making sure to read the fine print ever so slowly and carefully. "This one is my favourite," Minhyuk announces excitedly after a moment of silence, picking up a small book from under the endless piles of others. It's a beautiful shade of dark navy blue, the pages stitched together with thin gold thread, and lined with silver satin ribbons. "The book is small to carry around, there isn't too much writing, and look," the magician says with a huge smile on his face as he flips through it. "The pictures are in colour."

Jooheon laughs quietly, marvelling and losing his train of thought as he realizes how pretty the magician really is.

Minhyuk spends about half an hour or so helping Jooheon flip through the endless piles of spell books, which unfortunately aren't too much luck. Jooheon stares out the window of the shop. "It's getting quite late. You must be getting home by now."

"Oh," the human says, looking outside as well. "You're right."

Minhyuk closes the books and makes his way around Wonho's desk and to the entrance of the shop.

"Are you sure you're alright going home alone?" the asks worriedly as he crawls towards Minhyuk.

"I'm sure I'll be fine. The will-o'-the-wisps will look over me after all." Minhyuk's hand grabs the doorknob. "But thank you for worrying nonetheless. You have a good night now."

And just as Jooheon is about the respond back to him, he is already hurriedly making his way home. "Goodnight."

Wonho finally returns back as Jooheon continues browsing through the endless piles of spell books.

"Have you had any luck?" the older magician says, plopping down into the armchair near his desk. "It's almost 11. Your eyes must hurt from reading all those ancient magic remedies and cures."

Jooheon doesn't answer back immediately. "It's only been a day, but I'm already sick of this."

"I really do wish I could help," Wonho says apologetically.

"But Master," Jooheon finally announces as he looks up to the older. "Why is is that I've never met that one customer before?"

Usually, most of the customers that came to Wonho's shop were regulars, so it wasn't a surprise that Jooheon would remember all, if not, most of their names.

Wonho stands up. "Lee Minhyuk? He comes by every now and then, but not very often." The magician suddenly comes to a realization. "Oh, now his name rings a bell!" Jooheon stares at his master with a puzzled look, and a smirk forms upon the magician's face. "But I must ask, why is this of such importance to you?

"Am I not allowed to ask you questions anymore?" Jooheon says as he jumps onto the top of his master's desk.

"It's not that," Wonho claims. "It's just the fact that you looked very... intrigued by the man."

Jooheon only grunts. "Don't get those types of thoughts in your head." His master only laughs at his remark. "You said his name rings a bell. Why is that?"

Wonho sighs. "You should probably start studying magizoology more often then."


	2. Chapter 2

The bell attached to the entrance door of the shop rings as a familiar face walks through, giving a smile. "I'm so glad you came," Wonho says happily to the boy. "Jooheon really needs your help."

Jooheon looks up confused, and then glares at his master. "Hyungwon, I appreciate you coming all this way, but-"

"Hear him out," Wonho insists.

Hyungwon begins to speak, saying, "I've been asking around from people I know a potential way to reverse your curse, and I've received information from one of the alchemist's students that there is a special drug that you must take."

Jooheon's eyes widen. "A drug?"

"Don't worry," Hyungwon reassures. "It is just a small antidote. However, I am not quite sure of the ingredients just yet. The alchemist has been very busy recently, so I haven't had much time to speak to him."

Jooheon questions, but doesn't say anything.

"Please trust my word," the blacksmith replies back. "I'll take you to the alchemist's lair in the afternoon."

Jooheon only sighs. "How does 2 o'clock sound?"

 

 

 

The afternoon soon rolls around as Hyungwon and Jooheon make their way towards the potion master's house. For most of the trip, Jooheon mulls over the thought of his curse; how much time he'll have to live being a tiger, and whether or not he can really find the cure to reverse it. Though, the tiger still doubts the idea that his master, Shin Wonho, one of the greatest magicians in the entire kingdom, cannot reverse it, even without ever trying for his sake.

Jooheon attempts to distract himself from over thinking too much, asking Hyungwon, "is it really necessary for me to wear a leash?"

"It's for safety," the alchemist replies back. "Sometimes curses can alter the way you act and your emotions. I don't want you accidentally running away from me and getting lost."

The two approach a small, rickety wooden house, lined with vines and flowers and various types of vegetation. "We're here."

Jooheon stares at the scenery puzzled. "I imagined this place to be a lot more polished up. Though, it's not surprising how much greenery there is."

Hyungwon knocks on the door, waiting for an answer saying, "he usually has one of his students garden for him, but as you know, he's been very busy nowadays. They don't call him the best alchemist in the kingdom for no reason."

The door finally creaks open, the woman answering almost screeching at the sight of Jooheon.

"Oh," she starts. "That's an interesting-"

"He's not my pet," Hyungwon quickly cuts in. "In fact, he's a human."

"We're looking for the alchemist," Jooheon finally speaks up. "We need to find the ingredients to make the drug that can reverse my curse."

The woman disappears into the house for a few moments, and comes back with a small basket full of all kinds of plants and a small glass bottle, syringe, and baster. She shoves them into Hyungwon's hands. "He's not at home right now."

"Are those the ingredients?" Jooheon interrogates.

The woman bitterly smiles at the two visitors. "Yes they are," she says. "And usually, when you ask for something, you get a 'thank you' back."

"Thank you Miss," Hyungwon says, forcing out a smile. "Please tell the alchemist that we are very thankful."

The woman lets out a fake sounding laugh and slams the door, causing some of the vines hanging above to fall on top of them.

"We should probably take some of those just in case," Hyungwon orders as they begin to pick up the fallen plants.

"Don't you think we were let off too easily?" Jooheon asks as they begin to walk home. "I'm sure the ingredients would've been much harder to find considering Master Wonho cannot fix this."

"This is our only option," is the only thing the alchemist can say.

 

 

 

"Close your eyes, no sudden movements, and don't freak out," is what Wonho says while he fills the small syringe up with the concoction. "Now, open your mouth."

Jooheon obeys as he opens his tiger mouth as much as he can, feeling the liquid coming from the syringe trickle into his mouth, quickly swallowing it. Jooheon gags in disgust.

"How do you feel?" Hyungwon asks.

Jooheon shakes his head. "Am I supposed to feel a burning sensation?"

Before Wonho and Hyungwon begin to panic though, Jooheon's tiger stripes begin to fade in colour little by little, revealing a smidgen of his normal skin colour underneath.

"It's working!" the alchemist and magician and yell out excitedly. Jooheon quickly hops off the desk and runs in front of the mirror near Wonho's desk, examining himself.

"Is there still more of the drug?"

Hyungwon nods. "But you shouldn't take any more today. Overdoing it might make the curse worsen."

 

 

 

It reaches the end of the day. Hyungwon bids a farewell to the magician and the tiger, making his way back home. Wonho suddenly begins scanning Jooheon's animal body. "Is it bad that I still have my own doubts about this?" the magician questions.

Jooheon exhales heavily. "Of course I still have my doubts," he replies. "But from what happened today, we seem to be slowly making progress. If I keep taking the drug little by little, then maybe I can become human again in the next few days."

Wonho looks at the amount of liquid left in the glass bottle. "We'd need to get more of the ingredients though if that is the case, but for now..."

Jooheon finishes his master's sentence. "Let's have hope."

 

 

 

The next morning, Jooheon wakes up to the loud sound of rustling paper and bottles clacking as he stretches and makes his way towards the lobby of the shop. He looks at his master, still half asleep. "You woke me up from a good slumber," the tiger says as he lies down on the floor again, eyes quickly shutting close.

Wonho can only groan in vexation. "The concoction they gave you was fake."

Jooheon immediately jolts up from his sleep. "Repeat that please."

"It turns out," the magician starts, "that drug you took yesterday night was just a soreness antidote. Although it took away some of the colour of the animal skin, it will most likely revert back."

Jooheon runs to his master's desk mirror, checking himself out, noticing the light tint of tan that was once visible under his tiger skin has completely disappeared. The animal even thinks the colour has gotten brighter and more opaque since then. Jooheon groans aggravatedly. "Handle the shop alone for today," he says to his master. Wonho can only tilt his head in confusion."I'm going to see the psychic today."

 

 

 

"I apologize," a male says as he sits in a seat in front of the tiger, a small round table covered with velvet purple table cloth separating them. "My mother is out doing other endeavours."

Jooheon murmurs a small 'that's okay.'

"I'll be handling your service today. I'm her son, Kihyun," the boy says with a small smile on his face. "What seems to be of concern to you?"

"Well," the tiger starts slowly, finding the right words to explain himself. "A few days ago, I made a mistake with the wording of a spell, and accidentally cursed myself into becoming a tiger. I've been trying to get help from some people, and I've managed to find news of a potion from the alchemist that can help reverse the anathema from the alchemist, but as it turns out, I've been lied to."

Jooheon watches as the psychic writes down what he is saying in a small notebook, completely tuning out his surroundings and staying focused. Kihyun nods and motions for him to continue speaking.

"So, I've come to search for some knowledge on how long I might have to stay living as a tiger, and if I'll ever find the cure."

Kihyun furrows his brows. "Do you remember what was in the potion you took?"

The tiger does not doubt the psychic one bit, replying back with a nod. "There was meadowsweet, turmeric root, peppermint, mullein, and dandelion root."

Kihyun nods his head, beginning to speak. "I sense that something bad has happened to the alchemist," he explains. "You've probably already been told by your master about this, but the potion you took was fake. He's sick, but I cannot forsee what is it in greater detail. As for when you'll find the cure and how long you'll be a tiger for..."

Jooheon is sitting at the edge of his seat, waiting for the psychic to speak up again as he processes the information given. "I cannot say for how long. However, you will find the cure soon. There will be a few bumps in the road, and you'll meet new persons, but all I can tell you right now is..."

The tiger looks up at Kihyun as he stands up from his seat. "Pay attention to the insight you're given, and trust your instincts. They will help guide you along your way." There is a small silence in the room as the fortune teller sits down again. "Please allow me to apologize for the scarce amount of information," he quickly says. "I get too into the forseeing sometimes, and everything seems to become a blur after thinking for too long."

Jooheon jumps off of his seat, bowing to Kihyun.

"You may come back for more information if you deem you need so when my mother is available."

"No, no," Jooheon answers back quickly. "I am greatly thankful for your wisdom."

 

 

 

Jooheon makes his way home from the clairvoyant's house, reflecting upon the information that was given to him.

"The potion was not the cure, the alchemist is somehow sick, trust my instincts?" the tiger murmurs to himself as he makes his way home. This did not make any sense to him whatsoever. The psychic said it would happen soon, but how soon would that be? Tomorrow, a few weeks, the upcoming months, a couple of years?

The tiger senses that he is beginning to enter the urban part of the kingdom, where all of the small shops and services are. He quickly hides behind a bush as he watches a group of kids run by.

He curses at himself. "I should have taken the scenic route through the forest."

There was no way he was going to cut through the dozens of crowds of people strolling by, as that would cause a huge catastrophe. So, he waits until it clears up, overhearing the conversation of two young boys standing nearby.

"I've heard there is an urban legend of a magical beast that lurks through the nearer mountains," one boy says. "Legend has it that every 1000 years, it hunts for the cursed souls in the kingdom, and eats them up during their sleep."

Jooheon shivers in his animal body as he hears the word  _cursed_.

"Please," the other boy says. "Nobody ever believes in those foolish tales anymore."

The two laugh. "You must be right. But you never know, there have been many instances in the newspaper about people going missing."

"I really need to get back to Master Wonho," Jooheon says to himself as he runs as fast as his tiger legs can back to the shop.

The sun begins to peak upon the horizon, signaling the start of day. Jooheon's orange fur is illuminated by its yellow hues, shining a warm mandarin colour. As beautiful as it appears though, it seems to attract the eyes of a predator, and Jooheon quickly whirls his head around, attempting to find the source of a sound.

A colossal creature that gives the appearance of a wolf appears from behind the tiger, its snarl booming.

Jooheon curses under his breath as he makes a run for the trees, his heart rate speeding up ten times faster. The tiger's surroundings immediately blur, and he suddenly cannot register anything in his vicinity. He can feel the presence of the giant inching closer and closer to him.

Jooheon gasps for air, his mind and all of his senses a mess. "Please," he wheezes to himself. "Will-o-the-wisps, save me."

The tiger suddenly reaches a dead end, and the only thing that can keep him from being eaten by the monster is a river. Jooheon makes a quick decision, and before he can decide, he prepares to jump into the water, but someone stops him. He feels himself becoming light-headed.

"Halt you beast!" a man says loudly as he puts a hand out, the view making it seem like he was devoured. A bright light suddenly emits from the beast, and after the impact, a small wolf is sitting, inspecting the mysterious man curiously. He had lifted the curse from the animal.

A large group of wizard policemen enter into the forest with their weapons, the mysterious magician immediately fleeing with the wolf, and as well, a now unconscious tiger.


	3. Chapter 3

The man speedily unlocks the door to his house as he carries the wolf in one hand, a bundle full of ointments and herbs in his other, and magically levitating the tiger close behind him as he enters, sets down the animals, and slams the door shut, startling the smaller one of the two.

"Oh," he says, surprised at the wolf's quiet whimpering. The magician reaches out a hand, allowing the wolf to sniff him and get comfortable with him, but the animal only growls and barks at him. He scrunches his nose in a childish manner, but offers the fox a little smile nonetheless. "You'll get used to me with time."

The wolf backs down, letting the magician pet him. He runs his hands through the wolf's fur, marveling at the creature's unique ash grey colour and deep brown eyes. "You're quite a beauty, aren't you?" he says, stroking the animal's chin.

The magician leaves for a few moments and comes back a little while later with a small bowl full of berries, cheese, and bread. "You must be hungry," the magician observes, setting the bowl down in front of the animal.

The magician then turns his attention to the tiger. He's awake. He sighs deeply, a hurt expression spreading onto his face. "I," the magician starts. "I... no, that's my fault."

The tiger winces in pain, the man's eyes darting towards the large gash in the middle of the rib-cage of the animal's body. A jolt of regret and guilt spikes into the magician's body. He quickly stands up to fetch a first aid kit, kneeling in front of Jooheon. "I'm sorry," he says, softly running his hands across the beast's soft fur, patching up his wound.

Despite being in pain, Jooheon still manages to speak up saying, "You don't need to apologize for anything."

There is much silence, the only sound remotely audible coming from the clinking and clanking of dishes being washed, and the faint breathing of the magician's, the wolf's, and the tiger's.

"I've seen you before," Jooheon announces as he breaks the silence. "You came to the shop to pick up an order from my master." The man nods slowly. "But I never seemed to get your name, and if I have, I apologize. I cannot come to my senses to remember it."

The magician shakes his head. "No," he replies. "That is really okay." He comes back to kneel near the tiger. "My name is Minhyuk."

"Minhyuk," the tiger repeats to himself. The name exudes warmth to himself for some odd reason. 

"I believe you are Jooheon, right?"

Jooheon gives a small nod as he gazes up at the magician. He was awestruck, at a loss for words, mesmerized. And suddenly, the pain from the injury in his left rib-cage did not hurt so bad anymore.

"Is something occupying your mind?" the magician asks, tilting his head in curiosity. 

Jooheon blinks himself out of his thoughts. "Well, it's just that..."

The sorcerer gives the tiger a small smile.

"You're very beautiful."

Minhyuk is shocked by the sudden compliment and can feel heat beginning to rush to his cheeks.

"W-well," he starts, "I'm really not, but thank you."

Jooheon shakes all his shyness away. "You saved my life, and I need to thank you for that."

"It's really fine," he answered back. "I don't think I did a very good job though."

Minhyuk notices the tiger attempts to stand on all four legs, but begins to fall, the magician catching him just in time. Jooheon catches a glimpse of the sorcerer's chestnut brown eyes, almost getting lost in them. He snaps out of his trance as he hears him ask a question.

"Would you like to stay here for a day or two?"

Jooheon shakes his head. "That would be too much. I don't want to bother you, especially with someone like me."

Minhyuk quietly chuckles. "You're injured. Where would you go?"

"My master is most likely waiting for me to get back," the tiger replies back. "I just came back from a consultation with the psychic's son. He might be worried about me."

"I will contact your master for you then," Minhyuk responds back. "For the time being, get some rest. Let me handle everything for you."

And so, the tiger suddenly finds himself getting very drowsy, and begins to drift off to dreamland on the floor of the stranger's house. A  _beautiful_  stranger's house that is.

 

 

 

The following day rolls around, and Jooheon wakes up to the smell of hot coffee brewing and warm cheese bread. The tiger would get excited for the meal, but unfortunately, the only foods that can truly satisfy his taste buds and palette are steaks and other meats.

The tiger makes his way to the living room, the wolf barking softly, and the sorcerer smiling down at him.

"Good morning," Minhyuk says quietly, bringing over a small platter of food and placing it down in front of him. "I figured you were hungry since you were asleep for the entire day yesterday, so I made a little something for you."

Jooheon stares down at the food. "You really didn't have to do this for me."

Minhyuk hums in response. "I insist."

"How long was I knocked out for?"

Minhyuk chuckles as he thinks. "I'd say about twelve hours for your first nap, and then you woke up again and slept for another four."

The tiger mentally slaps himself. "God, I'm sorry. Was my snoring too loud?"

The magician grins even wider. "No, not at all. It was nice having some company though. It made me feel less lonely considering I'm the only one that lives in this raggedy, old barren house."

Jooheon immediately disagrees. "I like your house. It's comfy and cozy, and doesn't feel barren at all."

It looks as if Minhyuk is caught by surprise.

"You think so?"

"I know so."

"Well good," the magician replies back happily. "I didn't spend all this time sorting out all my spell books and supplies for nothing."

There is absolute stillness in the house as Minhyuk, Jooheon, and the wolf finish up their breakfasts, Minhyuk soon striding over to the tiger, inching to sit beside him on the floor. The two both exchange gazes at each other, the magician taking the extra few moments of silence to examine Jooheon's strong auburn orbs.

"Tell me about yourself," the sorcerer announces.

Jooheon is startled at the sudden question, but thinks about what to say. "I don't believe I'm all that interesting and fun to talk about," he says with a small, awkward laugh.

"That's nonsense." Minhyuk gives a reassuring smile to him, and the tiger begins to speak.

"Well, long story short, I've been famous magician Master Shin Wonho's student for awhile now, but you must already know that considering you've seen me work for him at the shop." Minhyuk nods with a smile. "But I never thought I'd become one though. I didn't exactly have dreams or even thoughts about becoming a professional wizard. I was, let's just say... a very reckless brat. I wasn't good at magic school, and I mostly used my powers just to pull tricks and games on other people."

"How did you meet your master?" the magician questions.

"I think I had just gotten out of class," the tiger replies back. "I was playing around with one of the professor's charm books, and I turned one of my schoolmates into a swan. Needless to say, he got pissed off, and of course I had to turn him back into a human. But Master Wonho noticed me, and that even at an age still quite young, I was able to possess such extreme shape-shifting abilities that he as well had. So, he ended up talking to me and taking me under his wing. It's funny because we were only around the ages of 17 and 18 at the time, and he had and still has much more powerful and capable wizardry abilities than me. " Jooheon suddenly looks down at himself and laughs. "And I guess I still haven't learned from all those incantation lessons considering the state I'm in right now."

Minhyuk observes the tiger and laughs along. "You must have a lot of respect for him."

"Believe me, I do, and I wish I hadn't stressed him out so much due to my lack of intelligence all those years."

"That sounds like something I would've done," the sorcerer responds. "I was a pretty foolish magician in school myself back in the day. I still don't know a lot about incantation and potions and all that jazz, but we all have to start somewhere, right?"

Jooheon opposes. "You're very powerful though."

Minhyuk tilts his head. "How so?"

"You managed to uncurse the wolf just by the small touch of your hand."

"That is true," he replies. "But I am not as powerful as your master."

There is a small silence between them for a few moments until Jooheon breaks it.

"Tell me about yourself," the tiger says with a grin.

The magician can feel butterflies in his stomach at the sight of Jooheon's smile, impatiently thinking about about how much more beautiful it would look like if he was a human. "Can I show you something?" he says.

Jooheon nods. "But of course."

Minhyuk stands up from the floor and makes his way through the living room into a long hallway, the tiger soon following afterwards.

The magician stops at the very end, the tiger looking around in awe at the stain glass detailing of all the windows in the corridor, and on the walls, endless sketches and drawings of magical creatures and animals. He can pinpoint griffins, chimaeras, kneazles, the list could go on.

"Sorry," Minhyuk quickly says. "It might be really humid or super cold in there."

The tiger watches as the magician takes out a set of keys from his left hand pocket, unlocking the door to what looks like a huge green house full of creatures. Jooheon marvels at the sight of it.

"Each section of the house is made specially for them."

Jooheon looks up at Minhyuk with wide eyes. "You're a magizoologist."

Minhyuk smiles widely. "Yes," he beams. "I am."

The two watch as a huge hippogriff flies by the top of the green house, cawing at the sight of the magician.

"Do you come here often?" the tiger asks dumbfounded.

Minhyuk can only laugh. "I come by here everyday to feed and care for every single one of these creatures." He looks down at Jooheon. "That is my job as a magizoologist, right?"

The tiger suddenly notices a jorōgumo resting at one of the corners of the green house, staring right at him.

Jooheon slowly nods, a bit frightened of the spider as the magician kneels to meet his eyes, suddenly moving an arm up to lightly stroke him on the head. "You're beautiful," he hears Minhyuk say with a small smile.

The tiger can feel his face becoming hot, and speedily turns away, noticing the arachnid is leering down at him. "I think this curse hides all my human ugliness," he says persistently. "Not even the jorōgumo wants to ogle at me."

And before the magician can say anything else, the conversation between the two is finally interrupted by the shallow barking of the wolf. Minhyuk's attention turns to the small animal, as he guides Jooheon out of the greenhouse and hallway to the living room, the tiger still slightly flustered.

"I should really give a name to you," he says, petting the wolf's head. "How about I call you..." The magician stops to think, smirking. " _Changkyun_."

The tiger immediately sits up in a daze as a bright light emits from the wolf, just as it did while he was being chased, and the wolf that was once sitting in front of the magician is now a tall, ash-brown haired human with deep brown eyes.

Jooheon gawks at the human. "You're the alchemist!" he exclaims.

"My goodness," the human says as he stands up and stretches. "I thought I'd never become a human again. You should have said my name sooner Master Minhyuk."

The tiger wants to be happy for the man, but he suddenly remembers that he was lied to thinking that the drug he was given was the cure to his ailment, and begins to grit his canines together, attempting to keep his bubble of anger inside.

"I must owe something of you," he says to Minhyuk. "You found the cure to my curses."

Minhyuk begins to shake his head furiously. "No, there's no need for anything. I-I don't even know how I did that."

"Oh but you did," the alchemist says. "I could not even speak my language normally. Saying my name was the only way to reverse my curse, and you did just that. You said my name.  _ **Changkyun**_."

"Now hold on," the tiger butts in. "I don't mean to be rude and interrupt your conversation, but I've also been cursed as well, and your _oh so lovely_ assistant offered me some help since you weren't home to try a drug to help cure my curse, but it just so happened to do absolutely nothing."

Changkyun looks down at the tiger with an apologetic look. "I apologize. I don't exactly remember everything I did and said the past few days since I was most likely roaming around the kingdom as a gigantic wolf demon that apparently, to some imbecilic young ins, eats out the souls of the cursed in their slumber."

The tiger can only sigh at the alchemist, but laughs in his head at the odd description. "I understand, but to be fair, you did snarl and chase me into the forest."

The alchemist only shakes his head. "Everything was a blur to me, my friend."

Now that the alchemist had been turned back into a human, Jooheon started to question if that was the same cure for his curse, considering they both turned into animals. The tiger notices that the alchemist is eyeing him, examining his animal body from head to toe.

"Oh dear," he says. "The regeneration spell."

The tiger sighs. "I was practicing for an incantation test that Master Wonho was supposed to give me and I was chanting out some spells from old books. I guess I must've messed that rune up."

"We must go to the magus immediately," the alchemist quickly says. "He'll know what to do."

Minhyuk suddenly stops him. "There must be something that you can do for him," he says. "You're the best alchemist in the kingdom."

The alchemist can only look down. "That rune is ancient. I don't even have the documents and knowledge to know how to reverse it."

"But it will take so long to get there," Minhyuk adds. "I live so far away from Master Shownu's castle."

The alchemist quickly takes out a pouch of powder from his back pocket. "Teleportation talc should be enough to get us there."

And so, the two humans and the tiger quickly pack up their things and make their journey to the magus' castle, Changkyun throwing the dust up, the three quickly disappearing into thin air.


	4. Chapter 4

"Watch your step!" Changkyun says quickly, landing on his two feet, while the magizoologist and tiger stumble.

Jooheon grumbles up at the alchemist. "You could have warned us about that before we were landing!"

The three begin walking along the path to the magus' castle, admiring the ash grey cobblestone walls and flowery covered paths.

"Maybe the cure for your curse isn't a magical cure," Minhyuk remarks. "This entire time you've only been told to try potions and such, but have you ever thought that it might be something non-magical?"

"That's not very likely," the alchemist confesses. "Most curses, especially in the case of Jooheon's, where it's practically ancient, requires some type of magical aspect to reverse it." Changkyun looks at the now frowning tiger. "But please, do not let that discourage you," he says to him. "In all of my years of wizardry studies, I have never once in my life stumbled upon a curse, whether it'd be new or old, that had no cure. That would be impossible. And foolish."

The two humans and the tiger begin to approach towards the door of the castle, Changkyun stopping them.

"Are we taking a break?" Jooheon asks.

"No," the alchemist replies back. "We're here, but there's a protective barrier. The magus does not like being disturbed very much, and only authorized wizards and people are allowed in the castle."

Minhyuk reaches a hand out to touch what looks like nothing, but ends up tapping the barrier, a ripple outspreading around the circumference of the entire castle.

"Let me handle this," the alchemist says as he activates his magic powers, easily walking through the barrier. He tells Minhyuk and the tiger to wait on the other side.

"I wish I could have helped you more," Minhyuk says quietly. "If I knew more about spells and cures and everythinh, we could have solved your problem sooner."

The tiger walks closer to the magician as he kneels down to meet his eyes. "Believe me," Jooheon starts, lifting a paw up, Minhyuk taking it in his hands. "You didn't have to save my life that day, patch up the wound on my rib-cage, let me stay at your house, make breakfast for me, allow me to speak about myself, and show me your house jungle for me to hear you say that."

Minhyuk feels his cheeks flushing a light pink colour as he offers a warm smile to the tiger and chuckles.

"You've helped me a lot," the tiger says. "You don't know how thankful I am."

The magician gently lets go Jooheon's paw as he stands up, noticing Changkyun is returning, and the invisible barrier that was once separating them begins to crumble.

"How did you do that?" Minhyuk asks curiously.

"I just had to call Master Shownu to let him know to let us in. I have connections."

Changkyun walks towards the door, opening it up for them. "After you."

Minhyuk and Jooheon walk inside the castle, noticing that the magus is seated reading a book at his desk. He looks up to them and immediately drops the book and stands up to greet them.

"My apologies," the magus says as he walks towards Minhyuk and the tiger, Changkyun quickly closing the castle door behind them. "I'm- well, you probably already know who I am."

The magus comes around to scan Jooheon. "It's just like you mentioned Changkyun."

"Can you do anything about this?" Minhyuk asks.

Shownu disappears for a few moments as he goes to grab a book from one of his shelves, flipping it to the exact page of the cure for the curse, and handing it to Minhyuk.

"That's all," the magus says.

Jooheon tilts his head. "Are you sure this is just it? No incantations or effervescent potions?"

Shownu nods his head. "Well, it is true that the spell that you cursed yourself with traces back to ancient times, and it is tremendously difficult to find the cure for it, unless you have the knowledge and resources like me, but it doesn't mean it's difficult to reverse."

Minhyuk kneels down as Jooheon crawls towards him to read the cursive print off of the page.

"You must receive... a kiss from one who is most beauteous?!" the tiger exclaims, his eyes widening, turning to the magus. "This has to be a joke, I mean, there are children's tales about these types of things."

Minhyuk questions Shownu saying, "Master Shownu, are you sure this is true?"

"Shownu has expertise and mastery of every single spell that has possibly ever existed in magic," Changkyun reassures. "I think you should trust his word."

The alchemist takes the book from Minhyuk, handing it back to the magus. "We appreciate your help Master."

"I must get back to my lair," the alchemist says as he reaches for the pouch of teleportation talc inside his back pocket, grabbing some for himself. "I would stay longer, but I've a lot of missed work to get back to, and I've learned from this experience not to trust any of my students with my responsibilities ever again." Changkyun hands the pouch to Minhyuk. "I hope everything works out, and thank you once again for uncursing me."

"Thank you for all the help Master Changkyun," the tiger says, bidding a farewell. "I really appreciate it."

Changkyun waves once last goodbye as he throws the dust into the air, disappearing quickly.

"Well," Minhyuk says, "I guess this is our cue to leave."

Jooheon nods, his head lying low.

 

 

 

The two instantly return back to Minhyuk's house, the tiger plopping down onto the floor.

The magician frowns at the sight. "I'm really sorry," Minhyuk says, softly running a hand through Jooheon's pelt.

The tiger doesn't respond back right away. "I don't think I should give up yet," he says. "Master Changkyun said that there is always a cure for every curse. It's not possible this could be happening, that's too crazy."

An alarm bell rings from the other room, startling the magician and the tiger. Minhyuk quickly sits up, running to fetch it and turn it off. When he comes back, he kneels in front of the tiger.

"Feeding time," Minhyuk quietly whispers, barely audible enough for the tiger to hear.

"Jooheon," Minhyuk calls out. "If it makes you feel any better, would you like to watch me feed my niffler?"

The tiger looks up at the magician with a small smile and sits up from the floor.

Minhyuk leaves the room, grabbing the keys to the greenhouse and a small bag of niffler food, leading the tiger down the hall once again.

 _I hope the jorōgumo doesn't have a staring contest with me again_ is all that runs through Jooheon's mind while Minhyuk is unlocking the door.

The magician is immediately greeted by a fluffy black niffler once he steps inside, the man kneeling down to pet its head lovingly. 

"And how are you doing today?" he asks the creature with a huge grin plastered on his face, the tiger finding the gesture cute.

Minhyuk shakes the food in the air as the niffler attempts to jump for it, Jooheon laughing at the action.

Time suddenly feels like it's slowing down in Jooheon's tracks, and the only thing that the tiger can see is Minhyuk's bright smile and the sound of his chuckles whenever he feeds the niffler, despite it being a catastrophe around him.

The magician continues to play with the niffler, the sight being quite amusing for the tiger, until he hands the creature the last piece of food, and prepares to leave.

"After you," he says, Jooheon taking it as his sign to leave. He watches as Minhyuk waves goodbye to the creature, and slowly closes the door behind him, throwing the now empty niffler food bag into the trash. Jooheon makes his way to the living room lying down on the floor again, Minhyuk soon following after to sit in front of him. The magician notices that the tiger still has a slight sullen look across his face.

"You're still pondering about your curse right?" he says softly, running a hand through the tiger's fur coat.

Jooheon sighs. "How am I supposed to find the 'one that is most beauteous'?" he says pleadingly. "Let alone, in the state I'm still in."

Minhyuk thinks for awhile before he finally speaks up. "My mother always told me that beauty is always in the eye of the beholder."

The tiger gazes up at the magician.

"It means that beauty can't be defined objectively, and that something that might not look appealing to you, might look appealing to another person."

And suddenly, Jooheon is reminded of the psychic's words.

 _Pay attention to the insight you're given_.

"I'm not exactly sure what the magus really means," Minhyuk continues, "but from what I can understand, I don't think you don't need to find someone that is, I guess you could say, easy on the eyes." He looks up. "Maybe it's someone who you genuinely think, physically and mentally, inside and out, is beautiful to you in their own way."

Jooheon closes his eyes in thought as the magician continues to run a hand through his fur.

_Trust your instincts._

Jooheon finally understands and is sure of what the cure to his curse is.

The tiger immediately jolts and sits up, slightly alarming the magician. "Kiss me."

Minhyuk sits there at a loss for words, slowly shaking his head, not taking his eyes off off the tiger or batting an eyelash. "It can't be me."

And somehow, despite his opposing thoughts, the magician feels a non-existing force pulling him closer to the tiger, and finds himself closing his eyes, the tiger doing the same, as soft rosy human lips brush against the tiger's.

Jooheon's first initial thought is that it's warm, and then he begins to feel profusely abashed, but right away he senses that his tiger body has altered, and he can now move his usual limbs in his arms and legs.

He was a human now.

Jooheon is the first to pull away, noticing that Minhyuk still has his eyes glued shut and his face slightly scrunched up, his cheeks tinted a sheer pale red. The younger laughs to himself as he goes to place a light kiss on the magician's left cheek.

It takes a few short moments, but Minhyuk finally shakes away his shyness as his eyes flutter open, admiring the pretty boy that was now sitting right in front of him.

"Hi," Jooheon says softly as he smiles widely, his eyes becoming the shapes of crescent moons.

At first, the magician doesn't believe that the man he was seeing right in front of him was the tiger, but he takes a closer look at his eyes, perfectly resembling the ones that he once saw on the creature: strong auburn orbs.

"Hello," Minhyuk eventually responds. "You're more beautiful than I ever imagined," he utters. "Are you real?"

Jooheon faintly giggles as he raises a hand to cup the side of Minhyuk's face, the older magician lightly leaning on him. "I'm real."

Minhyuk stares at Jooheon, and delightful silence is created between them. "You should have turned yourself into a different animal."

Jooheon lets out a small laugh. "And which one would that be?"

"A  _honey_ _bee_ ," he hums. "It would be a new addition to my jungle. I've never taken care of bees before." Minhyuk beams to himself. "Plus," he adds. "You smell and your kiss tasted just like honey."

And this time, Jooheon inches closer to Minhyuk, locking their lips once more, pushing and pressing a little harder.

 

 

 

Jooheon finally returns back to the shop as he sees Wonho working behind the counter.

"Master!" he yells out. Wonho looks and runs to hug him, the younger struggling to carry him.

"So you really did find the cure after all," he says. "Let me guess... you kissed the magizoologist right?"

Jooheon's eyes widen and his face flushes a bright red. "How did you know?"

Wonho laughs. "I have... connections."

Jooheon grits his teeth and sighs. "Fucking wolf demon."

 

 

 

Minhyuk begins to pass by the shop more often nowadays, as the aspiring magician has taken a new found liking, or rather, loving, to the man.

"I have something for you," Jooheon says as the magizoologist waits for him behind the counter. 

Minhyuk tilts his head in curiosity as the magician places down a small dark navy blue box, lined with golden thread, with a small silver satin bow tied at the top. The younger smiles at his beloved as the magizoologist slowly begins to open up the box.

"Remember that time you first helped me find the cure for my curse?"

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And that's the end of the story! I hope you all enjoyed it, and as always, leave your feedback and thoughts in the comments, and leave kudos too. Thank you <33


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